Crossing the border with Blue Jays beat reporter Jordan Bastian.

Wells on the Mitchell findings

TORONTO – I spoke with Vernon Wells earlier tonight about the Mitchell Report and he had this to say in regards to players being named, including Toronto’s Gregg Zaun and Troy Glaus:

"I’m in no place to judge what anybody else has done. They’re grown men and they make their own decisions. When you do things that are illegal, people are going to find out about it. Obviously, those guys have to deal with the repercussions of what happens after this report is out.

"People have probably done a lot worse things than doing steroids," he added. "I’m not going to view them any differently. [Zaun and Glaus] are both my teammates and we’re all playing for one common goal, to win. Whatever choices they made in the past, that’s on them."

Wells also talked some about his offseason rehab. I may write something up on that later. He’s scheduled to start swinging a bat at about 50-percent strength next week and expects to be ready to go this spring. So, good news on that front.

Looks like Zaun and Glaus are declining comment for now. Jays president and CEO Paul Godfrey has a conference call in a few minutes. Stay tuned for more…

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24 Comments

I think the Mitchell Report places the blame exactly where it belongs–with MLB, management and the player’s association. Of the three, I think the most reprehensible is the Player’s Association for failing to protect the health and welfare of it’s members. I also disagree with Well’s remarks that it is an individual decision. What it is, is an attempt by individuals to gain an unfair advantage over others who choose to obey the rules. Baseball for over 100 years has striven to maintain an even playing field from year to year, and the steroid era of the 90,s will always stand out as a blip on that field.
I also find it difficult to believe that players will be punished for indulging in a practice, legal or not, that was tacitly condoned by management and union. The past should be relegated to the past, and the Mitchell Report should be used to provide a blueprint for going forward.

One would have thought that if anyone would have taken HGH it would have been Eckstein.

He could have acheived a normal height and probably gained some pigment in his skin.

One would think that if such a pervasive culture of cheating existed, if one was smart they would have resorted to drugs in order to keep their job from others who were using. Makes sense especially since there was no reprocussion for doing it for so many years. And if your injured, you really only have an offseason to heal up, so makes sense to drug up and heal faster.

enigma
Frank Thomas has been an outspoken critic of performance enhancing drugs for a number of years now. Of course, when you are the size of Frank, PEDs wouldn’t add much. His arms are already the size of most guy’s legs. And yes, I think it’s safe to say that Ekstein doesn’t use drugs.

Its unfortunate the report named even those 89 players as I am sure that was/is only a small percentage thats used some form of drug “treatment”. Their names will be forever linked to this scandal while so many others walk away unscathed. McGwire wasn’t even listed, yet in the MLB inquiries he admits to having them in his locker.(1998: A jar of androstenedione is discovered in the locker of St. Louis slugger Mark McGwire…) This report only has testimony from NY , Balt and LA making it bias against those teams/ players. MLB turned a blind eye and this report will accomplish very little other than to show how “tainted” all of baseball is .
Here is the whole site for anybody who has not seen it http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/news/drug_policy.jsp

Indigo-good to see you back. I think my recent comments on this issue are still quite accurate:

“In my opinion, most of them take something and that’s never going to change. They’ll bring out the issue, point a lot of fingers, make lots of promises and sweep it under the rug until the next time.”

In the end there will be numerous lawsuits and the fans will pay the price by tickets going up …..lol.. I still stand by what i said several postings back. I don’t think a current director (aka Mitchell) of a ball team should have headed this investigation..its tainted from the beginning
Thank you for the wb. I am always around and read everything even if I don’t respond

First Androstenedione is not a steroid and could be bought off the shelf in the late 90’s. So let’s hold off and the Mcquire linching. I’ve tried Andro in the past when it was accessible and trust me it is no where near actual steroids. I love hearing people jump all over guys for using “stuff” when they dont’ even know what the “stuff” was. What a bunch of “who really cares”!!!

Androstenedione (also known as 4-androstenedione) is a 19-carbon steroid hormone produced in the adrenal glands and the gonads as an intermediate step in the biochemical pathway that produces the androgen testosterone and the estrogens estrone and estradiol.

Yes, I questioned Mitchell, a director of the Red Sox, doing the investigation as well. I think the only way anyone gets to the bottom of this sad tale is if the US governemnt appoint an investigative committee and empower them.

Ryan,
First Androstenedione is a steroid. The letters -one at the end give evidence of that. Androstenedione (also known as 4-androstenedione) is a 19-carbon steroid hormone produced in the adrenal glands and the gonads as an intermediate step in the biochemical pathway that produces the androgen testosterone and the estrogens estrone and estradiol.

As for McGwire,( insert Palmeiro if it makes you happier ) I was using him as an example of someone who is a known user. The point being 89 players names will always be linked with this report, when the reality is there are / were a lot more players involved. These 89 players will “bear the cross” for all of baseball. I don’t believe the public release of these names or any player’s name helped this report. I absolutely think something needs to be done to clean up all sports because this is s form of cheating . Next time you “jump all over me or any other poster” , try reading and comphrehending what was written

You are wrong it is not a steroid, it is a precursor to steroids and COULD BE BOUGHT OFF THE SHELF. It is a lousy pill and if you new anything about it you would know that a precursor pill vs. injecting testosterone in your muscle is not the same thing and not even remotely as effective. But i’m sure you already knew that.

If I am wrong then why did MLB ban it ? Why do all medical people view it as a steroid and why is it listed as such. I spoke to a couple of DRs before posting. Just because it can be bought off a shelf doesn’t mean squat . You can by wild yam cream off the shelf. Its a phyto estrogen cream , a natural steroid and as we all know the homeopathic industry is not regulated

The real point isn’t whether some substance is a steroid or not-it’s the report itself and the actions taken as a result of it.

The report is a “very limited review” of the issue and based upon the testimony-although, probably not under oath, from a very limited group of people. It identifes only 89 players, when everyone knows that’s only the tip of the iceberg.

So what action does MLB take with this report. Does it review each of Roger Clemens Cy Young awards and take them away? Does it prohibit Clemens from the Hall of Fame? Doesn’t Roger deserve the same treatment as Barry Bonds?

Major League baseball has kept Rose from entering the hall of fame because he placed bets on various teams. Is there a separation between placing bets and taking steroids to play better and achieve higher levels of performance? Cheating is taking steroids-is placing a bet cheating? So why would Rose be held out and Clemens get in?

Since Macguire wasn’t named in this report-will he get into the hall?

The real only way to clean it all up is to have the US government appoint an investigative committee and empower it, so every single player,trainer and coach from that period testifies under oath. Is that going to happen-NO WAY?

The report also presents an increasing problem with HGH, which is increasing in use in MLB. Is there anything in the collective agreement that forces players to take a blood test to confirm usage or not? Is the blood test accurate for both oil and water based substances?

How long does anyone thing it’ll take for a drug doctor to re-engineer either HGH or something else that avoids detection, once strong proven test procedures are in place for HGH? A week, a month, or a year?

What I’m trying to point out is, this issue never goes away. It will be swept under the rug by baseball, and these 89 players hung with the verdict, but the issue never goes away.

Players also “claimed” they didn’t know they were taking steroids . These players are adults, not children and make thier own decisions. Nobody forced them into taking anything but MLB turned a blind eye and left the door open for them to do so. All of baseball is at fault here , management for allowing it to go this far , players for thinking this is the road they needed to take to acquire the accolades they so dearly coveted and even the fans for being so demanding
gs makes a good point , where do you draw the line for players past and present when it comes to the “trophies”.

I pulled this from the Padres web site from a story written by Corey Brock-MLB.

The Padres have continued their talks with Mike Cameron’s agent, Mike Nicotera, about a two-year deal that would keep the soon-to-be 35-year-old in a Padres’ uniform through 2009. But though the two sides might not have issues on the length of a deal, they’re said to be far apart in terms of money.

Some clarity might have been provided on Wednesday, when free-agent outfielder Aaron Rowand agreed to a five-year deal worth $60 million ($12 million a year) with the Giants. That actually might help the Padres, who might be able to retain Cameron for a two-year deal worth about $5 million annually.

A call to Nicotera on Wednesday was not returned.

And, of course, there’s this: Cameron will miss the first 25 games of the regular season after testing positive for banned stimulants. “Cameron is still in the mix,” said Towers, who spoke to Nicotera on Wednesday morning. “… Center field is our main focus.”

I wonder if The Astros would have still done the deal with Baltimore for Tejada after the Mitchell report. Of course they would have. It’s business as usual. I’d bet The Jays would still do the deal with Lo Duca if they could.

After all, baseball is a business, and teams are showing it’s business as usual.

I took this from the Mitchell report, section V..(yes copied and paste) ….reading is how we learn along with experience. In this case I prefer reading
“Androstenedione is a steroid hormone produced in the body, where it is converte into testosterone.232 In 1998, “andro” was sold in the United States as a dietary supplement and was available without a prescription. The use of andro was not illegal in the United States, nor was it a prohibited substance under baseball’s drug policy at the time.233 There was debate, however, about whether androstenedione should be considered an anabolic steroid. In 1998, it already was classified as such under Canadian drug laws,234 and the National Football League,the International Olympic Committee, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association all banned the substance because of its anabolic effects.235 Patrick Arnold, the Illinois scientist who later allegedly developed “the clear,” the designer steroid at the center of the BALCO scandal, is credited with being the “father of androstenedione production in the United States.”

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